The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

“Focus! To properly use dark energy, you must first clear your meridians.”

Boom...! Boom...!!

The explosion echoed loudly.

It felt like only yesterday they had caused an uproar sealing the Dark Spirit King again, and now the Grand Library was filled with loud noises once more.

Crash—!

Karyl swung his sword upward. Dozens of violet arrows kept flying toward him; they were Allen Javius’s specialty, the chantless Magic Arrows. Though a 2nd Class attack spell, in the hands of a Great Arcane Sorcerer like him, each arrow carried the destructive power equivalent to a 5th or even 6th Class spell.

It was these Magic Arrows that had blown off the head of Wel Bahar, the necromancer of the Assembly of Seven Elders.

“Ugh!”

Deflecting the Magic Arrows, Karyl felt a numbing pain in the hand that held the sword. It was as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer wielded by a heavily armored knight.

Crack—!

Then, as he tried to draw out more mana, the Bracelet of Greed on his wrist tightened as though to break his bones.

Bang...! Bang! Bang!

Karyl faltered for a moment, and that was enough for Allen Javius’ Magic Arrows to strike him.

Ssszzzzz...

Dark smoke enveloped Karyl. Though he stood in a battered state, it seemed he had avoided any fatal injuries, gripping his sword tightly.

“You’re finally resisting the bracelet’s constraints, I see.”

Allen looked at Karyl, who was still standing despite the assault, with a satisfied expression.

“Haaah!”

Karyl then charged at Allen through the smoke.

Bang!

“But you still have a long way to go.”

Allen’s magic orbs struck Karyl in the side and exploded mid-air, the impact sending him crashing into a wall.

“Ugh...You really are strong...” Karyl managed to say as he leaned against the shattered wall. He then slowly slid to the floor as if exhausted. He threw the Freezing Talon aside and laid down on the cold floor, seemingly finding comfort in its chill.

“Heh... That’s because you’re wearing the Bracelet of Greed. The stronger the mana you use, the more the bracelet tries to absorb.”

“I’ve never been pushed this far even with this thing on.”

Once, Narh Di Maug had jokingly told him that the Assembly of Seven Elders might actually be dragons. Of course, that was a lie, but fighting Allen Javius made Karyl feel like he really could be a dragon.

“I kind of wish I was born in the Magical Era. Were all the sorcerers of that era this powerful?”

“No, I’m just exceptional.” Allen laughed proudly.

“Sure, magic was more prosperous, and the essence of spirits was stronger back then, but it's a bygone era. Just because a prophecy was given doesn’t mean things would have been any different,” Allen explained to Karyl, who lay sprawled on the floor, his breathing still ragged.

Karyl had been staying in Antihum for two weeks now. He had initially wanted to leave immediately after reviving Allen and tracking down the necromancer, but Allen insisted on training him further.

At first, Karyl had been reluctant, but after sparring with Allen, he had changed his mind. After all, Allen was a sorcerer acknowledged by a dragon. That made the Great Arcane Sorcerer Allen Javius an unparalleled teacher and training partner.

“Don’t be in a hurry. With your current skills, if you go to the Platinum Dragon’s lair and he changes his mind, you might not come back alive.”

“Is he that strong?” Karyl frowned slightly.

“Of course. You’ve only been under the Platinum Dragon’s protection so far, but you’ve never fought him.”

“And you have?”

“Have you forgotten? It was the Platinum Dragon who imprisoned me in the Gray Training Ground.”

“What?! Are you saying Narh Di Maug imprisoned you, Master?” Nain Darhon, who had been standing behind, shouted in shock.

“You should focus on mana circulation. Element Transformation alone won’t get you to the 8th Class.”

“Oh, yes, sir.” Nain Darhon scratched his head sheepishly at Allen’s reprimand. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Mana circulation training was the fundamental practice for anyone beginning to sense mana at the 1st Class stage. It involved circulating mana from the mana core through the meridians, spreading it throughout the body.

Most people stopped practicing this once they became sorcerers.

“...”

Nain Darhon fidgeted as if he was uncomfortable. Deep down, he was still skeptical that such basic training could help him unlock the ninth meridian.

“Honestly, fighting a Sword Master didn't feel this exhausting. You’re really something else.”

“Heh, finally recognizing my greatness, huh? But even I would hesitate to fight the Platinum Dragon.”

“That strong, huh...” Karyl bit his lip slightly. Thinking back, Allen’s words made sense. In his past life, he had occasionally sparred with Narh Di Maug, but it was usually just to gauge his own skill level.

Comparing himself to his father, Sword Masters, Grand Sorcerers... As an immigrant with mana, Karyl had wielded his sword to surpass them.

I never actually aimed to surpass him.

He had never seen Narh Di Maug at full strength.

“Don’t rely on the Bracelet of Greed. Unleashing it might give you explosive power, but it will also wreck your body.”

Allen walked over to Karyl. The bandages wrapping his entire body rustled with each step.

“I believe Kaye Aesir left that bracelet in Einheri partly as a survival tool but also as a tool for training.”

“Got it.”

Karyl raised his arm to look at the bracelet. As Allen said, he always removed it in dangerous situations to unleash all of his mana, even though his body could not withstand that.

“If you want to fill a bottomless pit with water, you need to pour more water than it can leak.”

Allen pointed to the Bracelet of Greed.

“Similarly, you need more mana than the bracelet absorbs to unblock your meridians. Your body is like that now. Training with the bracelet to unblock your meridians will increase your need for more mana, causing your body to expand the meridians, unlike other sorcerers.”

“...”

“Once you reach the 6th Class in that state, you’ll be able to wield far more mana than other sorcerers of the same level.”

Allen looked at Nain Darhon standing next to him.

“This guy is at the 7th Class, right? If you succeed in this training, the absolute amount of mana you can wield will be entirely different. At the 6th Class, you’ll be able to use as much mana as him.”

Allen stroked his chin and continued, “Focus on one step at a time. Reaching the 6th Class will change a lot for you.”

“Should I? It’s not just the amount of mana that matters. Of course, having a lot of mana is necessary to use high-level magic, but I...”

Karyl was still undecided.

“I know. Your main focus is the sword,” Allen said. “But you know why you need to increase your mana and open your meridians, right?”

Karyl nodded.

“The power of the Mana Blade depends on the amount of mana and its purity. So, I need to train my body to handle it.”

“That’s correct, but it seems you’re still missing something. Fine. Let me give you another reason to reach the 6th Class.”

“Hmm?”

Allen gave a mysterious smile.

“When you reach the 6th Class, you’ll be able to unlock one section of the repository of knowledge I’ve shared with you.”

“...”

Karyl clicked his tongue, his hopeful expression replaced by disappointment.

“Is that all? I already know that. You’ve already passed down the repository of knowledge. It’s frustrating not being able to access it.”

“Heh. If it were just that, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“What?”

“Remember when we first met. I gave you something, didn’t I?”

Karyl narrowed his eyes. They had met at the Gray Training Ground, where he had obtained the Freezing Talon and...

“The box?”

“Yes. I didn’t know it contained clues to the seal of the Queen of Tides, Ethereal, the Water Spirit King. The way to open that box is in the repository of knowledge.”

“...!!!”

Karyl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is that true? Then why don’t you just tell me how to open it?”

“And the fact that you need to be at the 6th Class means you need to wield Great Sorcerer-level mana to open the box. It’s impossible right now.”

“That’s disappointing.”

“Don’t worry. When have you ever relied on others? I know you’re getting greedy after contracting with the Spirit King, but still.”

He helped Karyl to his feet.

“So, I understand you want to go see the Platinum Dragon and quickly resolve the empire’s issues. But when else will you have time to focus solely on your training?]

Allen leaned on his staff, looking at Karyl.

“You are undeniably one of the strongest on the continent, but that doesn’t guarantee victory against everyone. If you can’t defeat the continent’s beings, how can you aim higher?”

Karyl gave a bitter smile. “You’re right.”

It was then—

“Master!” the librarian from the lower floor shouted urgently after running up the stairs.

“What’s the matter?” Nain Darhon asked as the librarian was still catching his breath.

“...Traces of the Dust of the Void have been detected on the outskirts of Antihum.”

“Finally...”

Nain Darhon looked at Karyl as he received the report.

“What about the two?”

At that, a subtle smile played on Nain Darhon’s lips.

“They’ve grasped the basics.”

“Good. Allen, we’ll have to pause the training. We need to handle this nuisance first.”

“Alright.”

Karyl nodded and walked toward the stairs.

“What are you doing?”

“...?”

“You’re coming too.”

“Oh! Of course. It’s part of the deal, after all. I need to see if you handle the hunt properly.”

Nain Darhon stood up quickly, eager to leave behind the tedious mana circulation exercise.

“No. You’ll fight alongside them. It’s better to learn how to hunt now than to struggle later.”

“Later?”

Nain Darhon looked at Karyl, confused.

“And also, there’s no need to give them such grand names. There’s a more fitting one.”

Karyl chuckled softly at him.

“Tarak.”

He spoke with a firm expression as he descended the spiral staircase.

“That name will suffice.”